Wafer packaging apparatus

ABSTRACT

A work station has a trough formed in the surface thereof, contoured for receiving an open-ended tubular container, and a stack of disc-like articles. The container and the articles are deposited into the trough while the work station is in a substantially horizontal plane, one end of the stack being located adjacent the open end of the container, the container and the stack being co-axially aligned. The work station is conveyed toward a discharge zone while one end thereof is simultaneously elevated so as to raise the closed end of the container above the open end thereof; a plunger simultaneously pushes against the other end of the stack so as to move the latter upwardly across the work station against gravity, and into the container. When the stack is completely inserted into the container, one end portion of the work station is uprighted as the latter reaches the discharge zone to allow the loaded container to be vertically deposited at the discharge zone with the open-end facing upwardly. A retainer holds the container onto the work station during the loading operation until reaching the discharge zone.

United States Patent [1 1 Bross et al.

[ Get. 3Q, 1973 WAFER PACKAGING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Charles Frederick Brass; William John Ponzetti, both of Chicago, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Pennwalt Corporation, Philadelphia,'

[22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 209,152

Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spruill I Attorney-Edward A. Sager, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT v A work station'has a trough formed in the surface thereof, contoured for receiving an open-ended tubular container, and a stack of disc-like articles. The container and the articles are deposited into the trough while the work station is in a substantially horizontal plane, one end of the stack being located adjacent the open end of the container, the container and the stack being co-axially aligned. The work station is conveyed toward a discharge zone while one end thereof is simultaneously elevated so as to raise the closed end of the container above the open end thereof; a plunger simultaneously pushes against the other end of the stack so as to move the latter upwardly across the work station against gravity, and

posited at the discharge'zone with the open-end facing upwardly. A retainer holds the container onto the work station during theloadinguoperation until reaching the discharge zone.

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RLES F.. SS LIAM J. NZETTI BY W WAFER PACKAGING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to packaging machinery, but more particularly to a machine or apparatus for loading a stack of wafers, or disc-like articles into a tubular container. Examples of such machinery are shown on the following patents: Whitecar, No. 2,747,352; Engleson et al., No. 2,829,476; Engleson et al., No. 2,829,478; Kennedy et al., No. 3,028,713; Kennedy et al.,. No. 3,064,406; Sternberg, No. 3,267,636 and Lakso, No. 3,354,607. Since such machinery is widely used for inserting tablets into tubes, the invention will be described with reference to tablets and tubes, although it is apparent that various other like articles and containers may be advantageously employed for practicing this invention.

In the packaging industry, the aim is directed toward producing machinery capable of high speed production, i.e., loading the maximum number of tubes in a given period of time. The major problems are the breakage of tablets during the loading operation, or the jamming of the machine or the tubes during the loadingoperation.

In the prior art, machinery has been developed which is capable of loading a stack of tablets into a tube by arranging the tablets into a stack, and moving the stack while it is in a horizontal'position intothe tube which is coaxially aligned therewith. The problem with this type of machinery is that because the tablets are pushed into the tube while in a horizontal plane, the stack must be moved fast enough to keep the lead tablet from falling; consequently this possibility the possibiliJy of breakage as the tablets enter the tube.

' Other machinery is available which allows the tablets to be deposited into an open-ended tube by dropping the tablets from a feed outlet located above the open end of the tube. While this type of machinery does eliminate the problem of tablets falling over during movement of the stack into the tube as described above, the tablets are still subjected to the possibility of being broken upon falling into. the tube. Also the possibility of jamming after entering the tube is still present; the tablets may not fall flat into the tube, but may stand on edge. While this latter problem can be minimized by shaking the tube to insure that the tablets do not stand on edge, this again increases the likelihood of damaging or breaking the tablets. Anotherdisadvantage in using this type of machinery is that the speed of the loading operation is decreased because each tablet must be inserted individually rather than inserting a single stack in one movement.

Also, while much of the machinery disclosed in the prior art uses righting manifolds for arranging tablets into a stack, this-machinery does not adequately provide for the prevention of jamming within the manifolds per se. Thus, even before the tablets reach the loading zone where they are moved into the tube, they are subject to jammingwithin the manifolds per se.

Another disadvantage of apparatus disclosed in the prior art is that the apparatus does not provide means for automatically placing a protective cushion at each end of the stack of tablets prior to insertion of the stack into the container. In cases where such cushions are provided, they must be inserted by hand at either end of the stack prior to inserting the stack into the container. Thus, since the. apparatus is not fully automatic,

the speed of operation is drastically reduced because this manual operation must be combined with the operation of loading the tablets per se into the tubular containers.

Also, much of the machinery disclosed in the prior art is of a highly complex nature requiring many moving parts, thus greatly increasing the likelihood of frequent breakdowns and consequently increasing maintenance costs.

Machinery in the prior art which utilizes the inclined filling principal i.e., bymoving a stack of tablets upwardly against gravity into a tube, does so by forcing the tablets into a tube by centrifugal force; thus, once again the possibility of breakage or jamming during the loading operation is increased due to the higher rate of speed at which the tablets enter the tube, and the lack of control over the stack during the loading operation.

Thus, what is needed to overcome many of the difficulties which are present in the machinery disclosed in the prior art is apparatus which is capable of packaging or loading tablets into a tube at a high rate of speed without damaging the tablets during the actual loading operation, and without jamming the machinery or tube during the operation. Also, it is highly desirable that a machine be devised which will accomplish all of this in the simplest manner, which will allow gentle handling of the tablets, and which will automatically insert a protective plastic cushion at each end of the stack of tablets prior to insertion of the tablets into the tubes. The apparatus must be simple in operation and be capable of packaging at a high rate of speed; thus, a machine which provides for the slow insertion of tablets into a tube to afford observation of the condition of the tablets and to prevent damage thereto while simultaneously increasing the overall speed of the packaging operation is highly desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for arranging a plurality of wafer or disclike articles (e.g., tablets) into a stack for placing a' protective cushion on each end of the stack and for inserting the stack of tablets and cushions on each end thereof into a tubular container (e.g., a tube) in'a gentle manner so as to minimize the possibility of breakage, and maximize the overall speed of the packaging operation. As used herein, disc-like articles also includes the above mentioned cushions;

.All of the above is accomplished while minimizing the possibility of jamming at any stage of the overall operation. The apparatus utilizes a conveyor for moving the tablets from a source intoa righting manifold, the latter allowing the tablets to be arranged into a stack.

' Prior to entering the righting manifold, the tablets pass under an anti-shingling brush which arranges the tablets into a single layer; After passing under the latter brush, the tablets are arranged into a plurality of rows by an oscillating mechanism located at the head of the manifold. A gating drum located above the manifold spaces the tablets and prevents jamming as the individual tablets are moving toward the loading zone and being arranged into stacks. This drum utilizes a series of projections which extend from the periphery thereof to contact and space the tablets as they are passing through the manifold.

Once the tablets are arranged into a stack, the stack is deposited onto a work station at the discharge end of the manifold, and means are provided for automatically depositing a protective cushion on each end of a stack of tablets on the work station; the tube is deposited onto the work station adjacent one end of the stack.

The work station is then conveyed toward a discharge zone while one end thereof is elevated so as to raise the closed end of the tube above the open end thereof; a push rod simultaneously pushes against the other end of the stack so as to move the tablets and cushions upwardly across the work station and into the tube. The loaded tube is deposited at a discharge zone with the open end of the container disposed or located above the closed end of the container. A retainer holds the tube onto the work station during the loading operation and until reaching the discharge zone. The loaded tube is then conveyed to a point where a cap is applied thereto.

A plurality of the above mentioned work stations are provided, the apparatus or machine being constructed so that as one work station is receiving a tube, tablets and cushions, another work station is simultaneously discharging a loaded tube. Thus, the present invention is directed to a machine or apparatus which is capable of gently loading a tube with tablets while maximizing the overall speed of the packaging operation; the protective cushions are also automatically deposited by the apparatus on the ends of each stack of tablets, thus insuring a quick and efficient operation.

One of the embodiments of the present invention utilizes a hinged work station, wherein a first and a second end portion thereof are hinged together on the underside of the work station. The tube is deposited on one end portion while the stack of tablets and cushions are deposited on the other end portion. After elevating the entire work station as described bove, to insert the tablets into the tube, the end portion containing the laoded tube is uprighted so as to allow the loaded tube to be deposited at the discharge zone so that the open end of the tube is disposed above the closed end thereof.

In the other embodiment, the work station is in the form of a single unitary structure wherein the tablets and cushions are deposited on one end portion thereof, and the tube is deposited on the other end portion. After the work station is elevated sufficiently to move the tablets and cushions upwardly against gravity and completely into the container, the entire work station will be uprighted so as to allow the loaded tube to be deposited at the discharge zone as above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS arranged into the individual lanes within the manifold.

Flg. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 6-6 of FIG. 2, showing the tablets as they move toward the loading zone and are being uprighted within the manifold.

FIG. 7 is a view taken through line 7-7 of FIG. 2, showing the tablets at the discharge end of the manifold prior to being deposited onto a work station.

FIG. 8 shows a stack of tablets with a cushion on each end thereof, as will be resting on a work station.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 9-9 of FIG. 2, showing an individual work station in a substantially horizontal plane after having received a tubular container and stack of articles which are to be inserted into the container, the container and articles being shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 10-10 of FIG. 9 showing a top view of the work station.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 11-11 of FIG. 9, showing the underside of the work station with a hinge thereon.

FIG. 12 is a view taken through line 12-12 of FIG.

10 showing a first end view of the work station, the' stack of articles, and a portion of the tubular container.

FIG. 13 is a view taken through line 13-13 of FIG. 10, showing a second end view of the work station, a push rod, and a plunger attached thereto.

FIG. 14 is a view taken through line 14-14 of FIG. 3, showing the oscillating section at the head of the manifold which arranges incoming tablets into a plurality of individual rows.

FIG. 15 is a side view of. the oscillating section illustrated in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a view taken through line 16-16 of FIG. 1, showing the means for removing the loaded containers from individual work stations at the discharge zone.

FIG. 17 is a view taken through line 17-17 of FIG. 16, showing the loaded containers being removed from the individual work stations and deposited onto a conveyor.

FIGS. 18 through 21 are sequential views showing the operation of an individual work station during the loading operation.

FIG. 22 is a schematic side view of a second embodiment of the invention which utilizes a plurality of nonhinged or unitary work stations.

FIG. 23 is a schematic top view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 22, showing the individual work stations during the operation of the apparatus.

FIGS. 24 through 26 are sequential views showing the operation of an individual work station during the loading operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the major elements of a first embodiment of the present invention are shown.

Packaging apparatus 10 includes a first conveyor 12 which carries a plurality of tablets 13 from a tabletmaking machine or other source. As viewed in FIG. 1, the tablets are carried leftward until contacting transfer bar 14 which oscillates back and forth above the consingle layer prior to entering a manifold. In the event that one tablet is stacked on to of another, the brush will remove the upper tablet (see FIG. 3), and arrange the tablets into a single layer. After the tablets have been arranged into a single layer, they pass into an oscillating section 22 at the head'of manifold 18.

Oscillating section 22 is driven by a motor 24, motor 24 moving or oscillating a draw bar 26 back and forth across the conveyor 16 so as to oscillate a plurality of guide bars 28 (see FIGS. 14 and 15 also) back and forth, the latter being pivotedly connected at 30 to the stationarily mounted vanes 32 of manifold 18. Oscillating section 22 prevents bridging of the tabletsat the entrance to manifold 18, and allows the tablets to pass freely into the manifold, where they are arranged into a plurality of individual rows.

After entering manifold 18, the rows of tablets pass under gating drum 34 (see FIG. 3 also). Drum 34 isrotatably driven by shaft 35 so that pins or projections 36 retard or delay tablets in each row. Thus, after passing beneath drum 34, tablets 13 move through manifold 18 in a spaced relationship. 7

By spacing tablets 13 at this point, it prevents reshingling as the individual tablets pass through the manifold and are uprighted and formed into a stack. As can e seen in FIGS. 5 through 7, as tablets move through manifold 18, each tablet is uprighted by vanes 32 so that by the time the tablets reach the discharge end 19 of the manifold (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the proper number of tablets are formed into a stack.

As the stacks of tablets leave the discharge end 19 of the manifold, they enter loading zone 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) where they are loaded into tubular containers (e.g., tubes).'As each stack reaches discharge end 19 of the manifold, it will remain therein until a work station 54 passes beneath the manifold so as to receive the stack in a trough76 (see FIGS. 9 through 13) formed in'the surface thereof, trough 76 being contoured to accept the stack.

As each stack is deposited onto a work station a cushion feeder 38 also automatically deposits a protective cushion 44 (see FIG. 8) into trough 76 at each end ofthe stack of tablets. These cushions are deposited by chutes 4t) and 32 into trough 76 as work station 54 passes therebeneath. Feeder 38 is a commercially avail-' able feeding mechanism sold under the trademark SYNTRON.

Simultaneously with the deposit of a stack of tablets and cushions 44 onto a work station 54, a tube 50 is deposited via chute 48 into trough 74 formed in the surface thereof, trough 74 contoured to receive the tube. It is noted that tube 44 is'deposited on an end portion 53 while tablets 13 and cushions 44 are deposited on an end portion 55, the end portions being connected by hinge 56 on the underside of the work station. Tube 50 is deposited on the work station so that the open end 52 thereof is located near end portion 55 while the closed end of the'tube abuts plate 72 fixed to the end of the work station. Y

Stack 46, shown in FIG. 9, includes both tablets 13 and the protective cushions 44 at each end thereof, This stack is now ready to be inserted into tube 50. To accomplish' this, each work station is connected via member 60 to a roller chain 58 which extends beyond a sprocket 59 (see FIG. 2) to form an endless path. As stated, above, FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of the overall packaging apparatus, and do not illustrate allof the details of the apparatus. Member 60 is pivotally connected to chain 58 at 61 to permit the work station .to be elevated as it is conveyoed (see FIGS. 18 through 21.). Each of the work stations progresses through'the sequence shown in FIGS. 18 through 21, and FIGS. 1 and2 only roughly show this sequence.

A second roller 78 conveys a push rod 80 having a plunger 82 at the end thereof along with each of the work stations. Push rod 80 is likewise pivotly connected at 81 to chain 78' to permit plunger 82 to move across its associated work station toward the open end of tube 80 as the work station is elevated during the loading operation.

After receiving a tube 50, and the stack 46 to be inserted into the tube, each work station and its associated push rod is conveyed toward discharge zone 83 while simultaneously loading the stack into the tube as illustrated in FIGS. 18 through 21.

A pair of guide rails, each of which forms an endless path, is utilized for guiding the work station through the sequence referred to above. A first guide rail 62 has a follower 66 located therein, the latter being connected to the first end portion 53 via a connecting member 67. A second guide rail 64 has a follower 68 located therein which is connected to the end portion 55 of the work station. I

Thus, as work station 54 is conveyed along with its associated push rod 80 toward the discharge zone, one end of the work station will be elevated until reaching the position illustrated in FIG. 19 wherein the entire stack 46 has been inserted into the tube 50 via the push rod 80 and plunger 82. It should be noted at this point, that prior to elevating the work station, tube 511 will pass under a retaining rail 70 which is connected via an extension member 71 to guide rail 62. Thus, rail 70 and plate 72 serve to hold tube 51) onto the work station until reaching the discharge zone 83 where the loaded tube is to be deposited.

Upon reaching the position shown in FIG. 19, end portion 53 of the work station begins to upright itself as shown in FIG. 20 so that the open end 52 of the tube 50 is disposed above the closed end of the tube. Uprighting of end portion 53 continues until loaded tube 50 is in a vertical position as shown in FIG. 21.-

Upon reaching discharge zone 83, the loaded tube 50 has been sufficiently uprighted so as to allow it to be deposited onto a take off conveyor 85, the latter carrying the loaded containers or tubes to a subsequent station where they are capped.

To assist in removing the loaded tubes 50 from each of the work stations 54, a pair of fingers 84 are utilized for guiding the loaded tubes from the work stations onto the take off conveyor 85. It is noted that one of the fingers on each pair, i.e., the upper and lower pair enter a groove 86 formed in the work station to assist in moving and guiding the loaded tubes from the work stations; It is here noted that retainer rail 7-1 terminates immediately prior to the point where fingers 84 enter the grooves 86-of the work stations. The fingers will then be able to assist is removing the loaded tubes from schematic side view, and FIG. 23 is a schematic top view of of the second embodiment. As can be seen, the end portion of each work station are not hinged together, as in the above described embodiment, but each work station is in the form of a single unitary structure. The principals involved are the same, i.e., a plurality of individual work stations are utilized for inserting stacks of tablets into tubes by elevating each work station during the loading operation so as to raise the closed end of the tube above the open end thereof, while simultaneously pushing against the other end of the stack with a push rod to move the stacks upwardly against gravity into the tube; each work station contains a single tube, and-a stack of tablets with a protective cushion on each end thereof which is to be inserted into the tube. After the stack of tablets and cushions are inserted into the tube however, the entire work station must be revolved around so asto upright the entire work station to allow the loaded tube to be deposited at a discharge zone. In this embodiment, each individual work station and its associated push rod are connected to a single unitary drum which revolves so as to carry or convey the work station toward a discharge zone simultaneously loading a tube contained on the work station. The primary difference between this embodiment and the embodiment described above relates to the loading zone, i.e., that area of the packaging apparatus containing the individual work stations and the means for conveying and loading the tubes. Thus, similar parts of this embodiment will be referred to with the same numeral used to describe that part in the above described embodiment, but the number will have a prime affixed thereto.

After a stack of tablets with a protective cushion on each end thereof has been placed onto a work station along with the tube into which the tablets and cushions are to be inserted, rotary drum 58' rotates in a clockwise direction (FIG. 22) to convey the individual work station 54' toward discharge zone 83' where the loaded tubes 50' are deposited. Similar to the first embodiment, after the loaded tubes 50 are deposited at discharge zone 83' they are conveyed or carried away on a take off conveyor to a subsequent station where each tube is capped.

A rotary shaft 90 which is driven by a belt 92 rotatesa drum 58' about an axis extending through the shaft 90. Referring to FIGS. 24 through 26, it can be seen that as the drum 58' rotates, each work station is elevated so as to raise the closed end of tube 50' (FIG. 25) while push rod 80' pushes against the end of the stack 46 to move the stack upwardly across the work station and into the tube 50'. This motion continues until stack 46 is completely inserted into tube 50'. After the stack 46' is completely inserted into the tube 50 rotary drum 58' continues to rotate in a clockwise direction conveying work station 54' toward discharge zone 83'. As the loaded tube reaches discharge zone 83', work station 54 is in the position shown in FIG. 26. At this point, each loaded tube 50 is removed from its associated work station 54' by a plurality of fingers 84' in the same manner as was described with reference to the first embodiment.

' It is to be noted that while the loaded tubes are deposited at the discharge zone in a vertical position, it is within the scope of the present invention to also deposit the loaded tubes in a lanted or inclined position as long as the open end of the individual tubes are disposed above the closed ends thereof so that the contents of each loaded tube will remain therein. In such a situation, the take off conveyor at the discharge zone would contain a plurality of suitable receptacles for holding the individual loaded tubes in an inclined position; such a receptacle might well take the form of work station 54'.

It is also noted that in the first emboidment the loaded tubes are conveyed away in the same direction in which the tablets 13 are entering the packaging apparatus 10. in the second embodiment, however, it can be seen that loaded containers 50' are being conveyed in the opposite direction, i.e., back toward the manifold 18' of the packaging apparatus. As stated above, while the embodiments described herein are normally utilized in the packaging industry for bottling tablets, it is apparent that the present invention is not so limited, and may be used for packaging like articles into other tubular containers.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for loading a stack of tablets into a tubular container, which container has an open end and a closed end, the combination of:

a. a work station having first and second end portions,

b. means for revolving said work station,

c. support means for said work station including a first pivot connected to said second end portion of said work station, said work station being movable about said first pivot in addition to being movable by said revolving means,

d. means for placing said container on the first end portion of said work station with the open end of said container opening toward said first pivot,

e. a push rod including a plunger at one end thereof,

said push rod being revolvable with said work station, said plunger also being movable along said work station from the second end portion of said work station toward the first end portion of said work tation during movement of said work station about said first pivot,

f. means for placing said stack of tablets on the second end portion of said work station between the open end of said container and said plunger,

g. means for moving said work station about said first pivot while said work station is revolving to elevate said work station and thereby raise the closed end of said container above the open end of said container, and

h. means for moving said plunger along said work station to push the stack of tablets against gravity into said container when the closed end of said container is above the open end of said container.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

a hinge between the first'and second portions of said work station, and means for moving said first portion of said work station about said hinge to move the loaded container from a position in which the closed end is above the open end of said container to a position in which the open end is above the closed end of said container.

3. Apparatus for loading a stack of disc-like articles into a tubular container having an open end and a closed end comprising:

a. a work station adapted to receive said articles and said container;

b. first means for depositing said container on a first end portion of said work station so that said open end of said container is disposed nearer a second end portion of said work station;

c. second means for depositing a stack of said articles on said second end portion of said work station so that one end of said stack is disposed adjacent said open end of said container; i

d. a push rod including a plunger at one end thereof, the plunger being disposed adjacent the other end of said stack;

e. third means for elevating said work station so as to raise the closed end of said container above the open' end thereof, for moving said plunger along said work station against the other end of said stack so as to push said stack upwardly against gravity into said container to load the latter, for conveying said work station with the loaded container thereon toward said discharge zone, and for uprighting said first end portion of said work station so as to allow said loaded container to be deposited at said discharge zone, wherein said third means includes a first rotatably mounted drive means forming an endless path for conveying said work station toward said discharge zone, a connecting member extending between and connected to said work station and said first drive means, a pair of guide rails, each guide rail forming an endless path, a follower connected to each end portion of said work station, one of said followers being disposed within each of said guide rails, said end portions being hinged to each other on the underside of said work station so as to allow said first end portion to upright itself after said container is loaded so as to allow the loaded container to be deposited at said discharge zone; and

f. retainer means for holding said container on said work station during the loading thereof and until reaching said discharge zone.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said third means further includes a second rotatably mounted dirve means forming an endless path for conveying said push rod toward said discharge zone along with its associated work station, the other end of said push rod being connected to said second drive means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, and further including removal means for assisting in depositing said loaded container at said discharge zone.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said second means includes first conveyor means for conveying first articles from a source, second conveyor means disposed adjacent said first conveyor means and mounted for movement in a direction transverse to that of said first conveyor means, transfer means for transferring said first articles from said first conveyor means to said second conveyor means, an antishingling brush disposed above said second conveyor means and adapted to arrange said first articles into a single layer, and means for arranging said layer of first articles into a stack for deposit onto said work station, and means for depositing a second article on each end of said stack of said first articles prior to moving said plunger along said work station.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said first drive means and said second drive means respectively comprise a first chain and a second chain.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said first dirve means and said second drive means respectively comprise a first chain and a second chain.

9. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said first drive means and said second drive means comprise a single rotatably mounted drum, said connecting member and said push rod each being connected to the periphery of said drum.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of said work station, each of said work stations have a trough formed therein, said trough being contoured to receive said container and said stack.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of said work stations, each of said work stations having a trough formed therein, said trough being contoured to receive said container and said stack. 

1. In apparatus for loading a stack of tablets into a tubular container, which container has an open end and a closed end, the combination of: a. a work station having first and second end portions, b. means for revolving said work station, c. support means for said work station including a first pivot connected to said second end portion of said work station, said work station being movable about said first pivot in addition to being movable by said revolving means, d. means for placing said container on the first end portion of said work station with the open end of said container opening toward said first pivot, e. a push rod including a plunger at one end thereof, said push rod being revolvable with said work station, said plunger also being movable along said work station from the second end portion of said work station toward the first end portion of said work station during movement of said work station about said first pivot, f. means for placing said stack of tablets on the second end portion of said work station between the open end of said container and said plunger, g. means for moving said work station about said first pivot while said work station is revolving to elevate said work station and thereby raise the closed end of said container abOve the open end of said container, and h. means for moving said plunger along said work station to push the stack of tablets against gravity into said container when the closed end of said container is above the open end of said container.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a hinge between the first and second portions of said work station, and means for moving said first portion of said work station about said hinge to move the loaded container from a position in which the closed end is above the open end of said container to a position in which the open end is above the closed end of said container.
 3. Apparatus for loading a stack of disc-like articles into a tubular container having an open end and a closed end comprising: a. a work station adapted to receive said articles and said container; b. first means for depositing said container on a first end portion of said work station so that said open end of said container is disposed nearer a second end portion of said work station; c. second means for depositing a stack of said articles on said second end portion of said work station so that one end of said stack is disposed adjacent said open end of said container; d. a push rod including a plunger at one end thereof, the plunger being disposed adjacent the other end of said stack; e. third means for elevating said work station so as to raise the closed end of said container above the open end thereof, for moving said plunger along said work station against the other end of said stack so as to push said stack upwardly against gravity into said container to load the latter, for conveying said work station with the loaded container thereon toward said discharge zone, and for uprighting said first end portion of said work station so as to allow said loaded container to be deposited at said discharge zone, wherein said third means includes a first rotatably mounted drive means forming an endless path for conveying said work station toward said discharge zone, a connecting member extending between and connected to said work station and said first drive means, a pair of guide rails, each guide rail forming an endless path, a follower connected to each end portion of said work station, one of said followers being disposed within each of said guide rails, said end portions being hinged to each other on the underside of said work station so as to allow said first end portion to upright itself after said container is loaded so as to allow the loaded container to be deposited at said discharge zone; and f. retainer means for holding said container on said work station during the loading thereof and until reaching said discharge zone.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said third means further includes a second rotatably mounted dirve means forming an endless path for conveying said push rod toward said discharge zone along with its associated work station, the other end of said push rod being connected to said second drive means.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, and further including removal means for assisting in depositing said loaded container at said discharge zone.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said second means includes first conveyor means for conveying first articles from a source, second conveyor means disposed adjacent said first conveyor means and mounted for movement in a direction transverse to that of said first conveyor means, transfer means for transferring said first articles from said first conveyor means to said second conveyor means, an antishingling brush disposed above said second conveyor means and adapted to arrange said first articles into a single layer, and means for arranging said layer of first articles into a stack for deposit onto said work station, and means for depositing a second article on each end of said stack of said first articles prior to moving said plunger along said work station.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said first drive meanS and said second drive means respectively comprise a first chain and a second chain.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said first drive means and said second drive means respectively comprise a first chain and a second chain.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said first drive means and said second drive means comprise a single rotatably mounted drum, said connecting member and said push rod each being connected to the periphery of said drum.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of said work station, each of said work stations have a trough formed therein, said trough being contoured to receive said container and said stack.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of said work stations, each of said work stations having a trough formed therein, said trough being contoured to receive said container and said stack. 